Aerybeth Duskfalcon
Name: Aerybeth Duskfalcon Age: 95 (or in human terms, her early adult years) Occupation: Formerly a Knight Lieutenant of The Silver Hand, she now is the Commandant of the Grey Wolves and a full member of the Blood Knight Order. Languages: Thalassian, Orcish, some Common remains with her despite the warding of the Magisters. = Physical Description = The first thing that strikes one looking at Aerybeth is her build; she has maintained the healthy robustness known in the days of the Sunwell, and bears a body forged in training for battle. Her limbs are defined by well formed curves of muscle, and she proudly bares a smooth stomache bordered by a single line on each side. She wears and moves in her armor with the same grace her sisters were given to move in a dress, and dances with a blade as well as any wife with her husband. Her skin is pale, though easily given to tan in open sunlight. Her otherwise blemishless skin is marred by smooth, straight nearly white lines; the marks garnered as the price for victory in combat and protecting one's charges. The worst of these scars unfortunately is open to see running across the front of her graceful neck. Her face is striking and proud, gentle cheekbones leading one to the haughty curve of her jaw. Her silence leads one to her emerald green eyes, which look upon whoever has her attention as if judging their worth. She strikes an inspiring figure, when she rarely decides to wear her Imperial Armor, the battle uniform of the Silver Hand Paladin. Her royal blue cloak is secured to her armor by two crests, one the sigil of the Argent Dawn, silver sunburst upon black field. The other is a symbol that any who travelled Lordaeron before the war would recognize; that of the Silver Hand itself...a Guantleted upraised fist imposed upon a shield. In the wake of the frenzied battles leading to Angra'thar and its terrible aftermath, Aerybeth searched her soul, knowing that the choice between past loyalties and the survival of her nation and its proud and troubled legacy were at stake. Joining with the Blood Knight Order was not a decision she arrived at lightly, but given the changes the Order underwent after Kael'thas' betrayal and death allowed it. She now is most frequently seen wearing a suit of fine plate armor bearing Silvermoon's new colors of red and gold, bearing her pride as a Champion of the race in the form of the Phoenixe on her chestplate. = Personality = Aery, like so many former High Elves who survived the corruption of the Sunwell's energies and was spared devolution into a Wretched, is a contradiction of high spirits from past days and the hard reality now faced by the race. She is given to fits of mirthful laughter when in private with friends, but is a stern commander when in the field, a true believer in the indomitability of herself, her race, and her comrades. She attempts to communicate with pantomime and indication, but her exciteable nature has thus far prevented her from formulating a definitive set of hand signs with meaning; to those who are only briefly familiar with her, these are only confusing gesticulations, and even to those who are longtime friends or acquantances, the communication barrier is awkward, and so she remains silent most of the time, choosing to speak with her adversaries through her blade and shield. Recently, she has tapped into an extraodinary ability; she can lightly caress the minds of others, making her thoughts and words known to them if they are close to her, or across distances vast and wide if they carry a properly attuned stone. In recent months, she has mastered the use of the Wolfstone to the degree that she can project her foremost thoughts into a "voice" that can be heard by those standing close by to her, or across the continent if they also carry a Wolfstone. She is reserved in using the ability about those who are unaware of it, well aware of the worries and concerns that the ability could raise. = Likes = Drinking, good comrades and company, form fitting armor that appeals to her vanity, the Church of the Light. Her coal-black Paladin Charger, which she named Intrepid - who shares her mischevious nature. She has a special place in her attention span for Sin'dorei, male and female alike, that prove themselves willing and able combatants in any art, be it blades or magic. = Dislikes = People who lack a sense of humor, long hauls in the field that test her resistance to sour body odor. = Goals and Motivators = Aery wants only to see her people protected and prosperous again, politics being what they are, wearing the Blue of the Lion of Stormwind would make this an impossibility, After a recent journey to the city of Shattrath in Outland, she again has a glimmer of hope in her eyes to back up her easy smile. = Hobbies and Talents = Aery enjoys drinking contests and feats of strength, either performing or watching them, as this is how the soldiers she travelled with entertained themselves. She will never pass up an opportunity to try a new drink, and has actually shrugged off a poisonous drought or two due to her immense fortitude from years of growing intoxicated off unorthodox concoctions. = History = Aerybeth was sent to Falthrien Academy like most Quel'Dorei prior to The Fall. Unfortunately, she did not take it as anything more serious than another social circle, and managed to only learn how to break down magical enchantments into their base components for later re-use. It is this skill that she later relied upon to keep her health after the Sunwell energies were denied her. When it became apparent that she had no intention of properly becoming a Magistrix as intended, she was shipped off with a small cloister of Quel'dorei to assist the humans to the south in dealing with Troll incursions prior to the opening of the Dark Portal. She took to the martial training surprisingly quickly, although not with any superior skill with anything but her Shield. She trained alongside and became fast friends with Phibrizo Faireborne and Bellona Featherfire, sharing training spaces and military service for many years before she decided to travel north again to be closer to her fair home. Those two alone know the reason she is still called Aery Bladebreaker to this day. It was there in Lordaeron that she encountered the Silver Hand, and was fascinated by how the Order outlasted their Trollish and then Orcish opponents simply by allowing the enemy to break themselves against Paladin Armor and Shield. She supplicated for admission, and was granted it, even impressing some of the Humans with her unshakeable faith in the Eternal Sun and the Church of the Light. Her service in the Wars was exemplary, encountering many individuals of importance, noble and common blood alike. Her greatest test came with the Scourge and the Shattering of the Silver Hand. Through the Hunger caused by the corruption of the Sunwell she had to eke out a living creeping through the Plaguelands, avoiding the hivelike scourge patrols by taking to the trees, and feeding on animals that had not yet fallen as well as the broken pieces of enchanted weapons and armor she scavenged from the bodies of those too damaged to reanimate and not yet taken to the larders. Slowly she made her way north, finally breaking through the first shattered Elfgate and laying her eyes upon the Ghostlands...and her heart broke. Aery made her way quickly to Silvermoon to lend her might in any way possible...and found a city only half recognizeable...full of the hungry and desperate, and lorded over by a vicious order of Knights who wielded her abilities but had none of her piety or dedication to virtue. Swallowing her pride, she relented to working with them, and made some headway, actually getting a few of the initiates to begin looking upon the Light as a gift again, rather than something that could be taken regardless of the reality of M'uru mere yards away in arcane chains. It was this success that caused her trouble. One of the vilest of the young Knights by her reckoning, Vranesh by name, approached Aerybeth and asked to be taught more of what she had learned from the curious short lived humans. Her heart skipped a beat, as she knew this Knight to be influential in the order, and immediately agreed to a ride through the countryside so she could speak with him freely away from the others' prying ears. She would later curse her naivete for all it cost her. She and the Blood Knight were watching the sun set from the bridge over the Elrendar river and speaking about her experiences with the Alliance when she noticed that he had not said anything for a few minutes. Turning to ask a question, she saw first a black mailed fist, and then stars. She felt the white hot heat of slicing metal across her neck, and knew that she was betrayed. The Elrendar first drank her blood, and then her body. She has told none of how she survived this, but immediately sought out Knight Faireborne when she found he was in the Ghostlands as well and silently swore to follow him. In time, the path walked by the Wolves led Faireborne to realize the depths of his feelings for Lady Featherfire, and the two of them departed to begin a family. Aerybeth picked up the reins in the middle of a second Scourge invasion of all lands inhabited by mortals, overseeing a vicious and successful counteroffensive spanning both continents and occasionally spilling over into Shattrath city, the holy site itself not immune to the Plague's touch. Emboldened by victory and the accolades of the fighting forces of the Horde, the Grey Wolves travelled to Northrend to take the fight to Arthas under the banner flown by the Commandant. They walked into disaster. The battle of Angra'thar brought many revelations to Aerybeth; confirming her suspicions of treachery within the Royal Apothecary Society, or at least its leadership, and that no Burning Legion demon under free will can be trusted. It was the reaction to these events of King Varian Wrynn that steeled her resolve and set her upon her current course. In his words she could hear the echoes of Grand Marshall Garithos, and they held bloodthirst and a promise of ruin. In the face of mutual destruction at the hands of the Lich King, this man declared War, when the Alliance and Horde had worked together well if not amiably to defeat the forces of Kael'thas and Illidan in Outland. A single war in Northrend was not enough for him, and so with the King's most recent faithless act and the apparent demise of Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, she forsook the final oaths binding her to the human Crowns as a Silver Hand Paladin, and swore her loyalty directly to Highlord Tirion Fordring of the Argent Crusade and secured the sponsorship of Champion Cynlan Dawnstrider of the Blood Knight Order. TO BE CONTINUED! Under Construction! Category:Horde Category:Blood_Elf Category:Paladin